Work-supporting means for wire stitching or stapling machines



v 0:. A. FLAVELL. WORK SUPF'ORTI-NG MEANS FOR WIRE STITCHIN G 0R STAPLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 15, 1920.

Patented NOV. 15, 1921a 2 SHEETSASHEET 1.

INVENTORL Jazz's flj'larell,

ATTORNEYS p. A. FLAVELL. WORK SUPPORTING MEANS FOR WIRE STITCHING OR STAPLING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1920.

L 2 92 n 5 4 mm N m P w m $hk Q 0 5 a w 9) a .\N 1 w w 3 H wn mu 1 @N v mu Jen Q7 ha citizen of the United States, residingat Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and a Supportin ,To all whom it may mm.-

UNITED TA PATENT OFFICE;

DENIES A. FLAVELL, OF JERSEYCITY, NEW

Wonk-SUPPORTIN MEANS Fort wmE s'ri'rcHING cavern Line MACH INESl Be it known thatL'DENIs A. FLAvriLL,

State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in 'Work- Means or Wire Stitching or Stapling achines; and I do hereby declare the following to bee full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will e11 able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refi erence being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this spec1fica tion. y 1 Thepresent invention relates to work supportingmeans for use with wire stitchin or stapling machines; and the invention a as reference, more particularly, to a novelc0nstructmnof supportmg means for operatively presenting tothe stitching or stapling head and the associated anvil of a wire a stitching or stapling machine,ythe closing flaps of fiber containers or boxes so that the same may be adequately fastened together fby the wire stitches or metallic staples formed and driven'jinto placeby the machine. a a a Theinvention has for its pr1nc1palob ect :to provide a novel "construction of work supporting means for the purposes above mentioned, which willso support the box or-container tobe operated upon that the same, when filled with its desired content,

maybe readily moved relative to the stitch ing or staplinghead and the anvil of the a machine to properly resent the different points ofthe closing aps of the same for the "reception of the fastening stitches or staples. a l

Other objects of the invention, not here more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailedudescription of the same.

With the'various objects of the invention *1 in view, the sameconsists, rimarily,inthe novel work supporting meansqfor wire stitching or stapling machines hereinafter;

set forth; and the invention consists, fur: thermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devicesand parts,

as well as in the details of the construc- Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedrNgv. 15 1921 Application med September 15, 1920. Serial No. 410,417.

novel work supporting means made accord-v ing to and embodying the principles of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section,taken on line'22in said Fig; 1; dis a detail vertical longitudinal section taken on line 3 3 in said Fig. 2, but drawn on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 4: is a detail horizontal section, taken on line 44 in said Fig. 3. a

S milar, characters of reference are em ployed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference-character 1 indicates the supporting, column or pedestal of the wire stitching or stapling machine, which carries the stitching or stapling head 2 and associated anvil arm 3, all of which is known in the art.

11y novel work supporting means is pref erably mounted for "vertical adjustment upon saidcolumn 1 so as to extend beneath the head- 2 and anvil arm 3. To this end the forward side :of said column is provided with a vertical toothed rack 4, and slidably mounted onsaid column l is ayoke device 5 provided with suitable bearing projeo tioiis 6 for journaling a transverse shaft 7.

Secured on said shaft 7,so asto operatively mesh with said rack 4 is a pinion 8, while theouter end of said shaft 7 carries a worm gear 9. wConnected with one side of said yoke 5 is a longitudinalbearing member 10 in which is journaled a shaft 11. Secured upon said shaft 11 is worm member 12 which meshes with and drives said worm gear 9, and the outer or rearward end of said shaft 11 is provided with a cranlohandle 13 for rotating said shaft 11 and the worm member 12, whereby the shaft 7 is in turn r0- tated to cause the pinion 8 to travel either up or down upon the rack 4 so that the yoke is raised or lowered on the column. 1 to raise or lower the work supporting means, which is carried by the yoke, relative to the head 7 2 and anvil 3 of the machine.

Said yoke 5 is provided at its forward side with a suitably located socketed projection 141 in which is secured the inner end of a forwardly extending carrier arm 15. Securedupon the free end of said carrier arm is a transverse bracket 16, to the forward side of which is secured an outwardly bowed or arcuate plate 17. .Mounted upon the face of said arcuate plate 17 are a plurality of spaced idler or tracker wheels 18, the peripheries of which project above the upper edge" of said arcuate plate 17.

Secured upon said carrier arm 15, at its inner end and preferably abutting said socket projection 14, is a pivot block 19, provided'in its upper portion with a seat or receiving socket 20.

The worksupporting table proper comprises a'jlongitudinal supporting bar 21, having atits inner end a downwardly project- 7 ing pivot stud 22, which enters said seat or 20 receiving socket 20 ofthe pivot block 19,

so ascto swivel therein, thus permitting said supporting bar to swing from its inner end in a horizontal plane.' In order to provide a limited vertical depression of the inner end of said supporting bar (for purposes subsequently to be disclosed), the pivot stud 22 is" provided at its lower end, where engaged in the seat or receiving socket 20, with an annular enlargement 23, which engages the sides of theseat or receiving socket 20 to determine the pivotal or swiveling movement, while permitting the upper portion of the pivot stud-22 to beof reduced diameter relative to the diameter of said seat or socket 2 Of0r transverse play therein. The inner end of said supporting bar is yieldably maintained in normal raised position by placing a compression spring 24 within said seator socket 20, and in engaged relation with the lower or seated end of said pivot stud 22. "The inner end of said. supporting baris maintained against displacement from its pivotal relation to the block 19 by a clip 2'5, which is secured to said block so that its free end is engaged over the inner end of the supporting bar' 21. Secured to the under side of said supporting bar 21, toward its frefeend, is a curved tracker plate 26, which is supported upon and rides over, in either direction, said idler or tracker wheels 18, asthe supporting bar is swung from side to side. Fastened upon said supporting bar by angle irons 271is a rectangular frame 28, said angle irons having their ends respectively riveted or otherwise fastened respec-' tively to said supporting bar and frame. Mounted in said frame 28 are a series of longitudinally spaced transverse idler rollers 29, the upper sides of which project above the frame."

In operation, the work-supporting means functions as follows: The'work-supporting means isadjusted vertically upon the column 1 to accommodate the same to the height of the container to be closed, by raising or enter beneath the flaps of the same which are to be stitched or stapled to secure the same in closed position. The machine is then operated to drive into the flaps the sealing stitches or staples, in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art. In order to continue the stitching or staple driving operations along th meeting portions of the container flaps, the container is pushed rear ward, the transverse rollers 29 permitting the container to be moved with ease to feed the same rearward relative to the head 2. Since the anvil arm 3 of most stapling or wire stitching machines is reinforced by a tapering or inclined web 3 extending along its under side, I have arranged the mounting of the frame 28 and its rollers 29 so that the inner end of the same will yield downwardly, or be depressed as the container moves rearward, thus preventing the web 3 from engaging the sides or contents of the container so as to obstruct the necessary rearward movement of the same, and to this end the pivoted end of the supporting bar 21 is depressible against the tension of the spring 2 1. If it is desired to staple or stitch the flaps of the container along their lateral edges, or if it is desired to carry the stitching o stapling operations laterally, the frame 28 with its rollers 29 may be swung to the left or right from the pivoted end of the supporting bar 21, so as to readily adjust the desired point between the head 2 and the anvil 3. It will thus be apparent that the container may be readily moved longitudinally backward and forward upon the frame 28 and its rollers 29, while lateral or side to side movements may be imparted to the container by swinging the frame 28 and its rollers sidewise in either direction, so that a composite movement may be given to the container to bring any point included within the area of the surface thereof which is operated upon into operative position between the head 2 and anvil The lateral swingmovemcnts of the frame 28 and rollers 29 are easily accomplished, notwithstanding the weight contained within the container, since the free or swinging end of the same is supported by the tracker wheels 18, so that the movement is easily effected with a minimum of frictional resistance.

It will be evident that my present invention, therefore, provides a very convenient and easily operated work supporting means for the purposes in view, which is comprised of comparatively few parts, thus rendering the construction simpleand little likely to become, disarranged: or inoperative, and.

which is, furthermore, adapted to permit of a wide range of movementto be transmitted to the work supported thereby, so that said work is most conveniently positioned in desired operative relation to the stitching or staplingi, devices of the machine, with; a minimum of necessary handling, and with a consequent saving of both time and labo to the operator.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as pended claims.

in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of my present invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and as defined in the ap- Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the several devices and arm, a transverse arcuate plate provided with tracker wheels secured to the outer forward end of said carrier arm, a rec tangular frame, a plurality of longitudlnally spaced transverse idler rollers mounted in said frame, and supporting means for said frame having its inner end p1v- 40 otally engaged with said pivot block and its free end in riding engagement upon said tracker wheels whereby said frame may be capableof lateral swinging movements in horizontal plane.

2. The combinationwith a wirestitching or stapling machine and its anvil arm, of a work supporting means, comprising a carrier arm vertically adjustable toward or away from said anvil arm, a pivot block secured upon the rearward end of said car rier arm, a transverse acuate plate provided with tracker wheels secured to the outer forward end of said carrier arm, a longitudinal supporting bar having a pivot stud.

at its innerend engaged with said pivot block, a transverse curved tracker plate securedto, the free end of said supporting bar to ride on said tracker wheels, a rectangular frame secured to said supporting bar, and

a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse idler rollers mounted in said frame.

The combination with a wire stitching or stapling machine and its anvil. arm, of a work supporting means, comprising a carrier arm vertically adjustable toward or away from said anvil arm, a pivot block provided with a receiving socket mounted on the inner end of said. carrier arm, a sup porting bar, a pivot stud at the inner end of said supporting bar receivable in said socket of said pivot block, spring means interposed between said pivot stud and the bottom of said socket to render the inner end of said supporting bar yieldingly depressible, a transverse arcuate plate provided with tracker wheels secured to the outer end of said carrier arm, a transverse curved tracker plate secured to said supporting bar to ride on said tracker wheels, a rectangular frame secured. to said supporting bar, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse idler rollers mounted .in said frame.

l. The combination with a wire stitching or stapling machine and its anvil arm of a work supporting means, comprising a carrier means vertically adjustable toward or away from said anvil arm, a rectangular frame having a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse idler rollers mounted thereon, a pivot block at the inner end of said carrier means, said pivot block having a receiving socket, a pivot stud connected with the inner end of said frame and engaged in said socket, and spring means within saidsocket in engagement with the end of said pivot stud to render the inner end of said frame yieldingly depressible, the outer endof said frame being free to swing laterally in horizontal plane while supported by said carrier means.

5. The combination with a wire stitching or stapling machine and its anvil arm of a avork supporting means, comprising a rectangular frame having a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse idler rollers, means for carrying said frame, means for pivoting the inner end of said frame relative to said carrying means so that its free end is laterally movable in horizontal plane, and guide means at the outer free end of said carrying means upon which the free end of said frame rides.

6. The combination. with a wire stitching or stapling machine and its anvil arm of a work supporting means, comprising :1 rec tangular frame having a plurality of lonpivoting the inner end of said frame relative to said carrying means so that its free end is laterally movable in horizontal plane, meansrenclering the pivoted end of said fr'ame'yielcling'ly depressible, and means for vertically adjusting said carrying means toward or away from said anvil arm.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of September, 1920.

DENIS A. FLAVELL.

Witnesses GEORGE D. RICHARDS, Fnnnnmon CRYER. 

